Formula 1 historical archive

Denny Hulme won the 1972 South African Grand Prix

Denny Hulme won the 1972 South African Grand Prix for McLaren, ahead of Emerson Fittipaldi and Peter Revson at Kyalami Racing Circuit.

Browse the full classification, related season, driver, team, circuit, and championship history.

Race recap

Winner
Denny Hulme
Team
McLaren
Top listed
Denny Hulme, Emerson Fittipaldi, and Peter Revson
Race date
March 4, 1972
Pole
Jackie Stewart
Fastest lap
Mike Hailwood
Classified drivers
27
Circuit
Kyalami Racing Circuit

The decisive result

Denny Hulme finished first for McLaren. Emerson Fittipaldi is listed 2 for Team Lotus, with Peter Revson 3 for McLaren.

Grid to finish

Niki Lauda from P21 to P7 (+14), Rolf Stommelen from P25 to P13 (+12), and Henri Pescarolo from P22 to P11 (+11) recorded the largest positive grid-to-finish changes in the classification. Jackie Stewart started from the listed P1 grid position.

Status and fastest lap

The classification lists 5 +1 lap, 5 Finished, 3 +2 laps, 3 Engine, and 3 NC. Mike Hailwood holds the fastest-lap entry at 1:18.900 on lap 20. It records the result without speculating about incidents or strategy.

This summary sticks to the classification and does not speculate about incidents, strategy, weather, or causes. Source: F1DB (CC BY 4.0) · updated Jul 26, 2026.

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Race classification
PosDriverConstructorTime / statusPoints
1Denny HulmeMcLaren1:45:49.1009
2Emerson FittipaldiTeam Lotus1:46:03.2006
3Peter RevsonMcLaren1:46:14.9004
4Mario AndrettiFerrari1:46:27.6003
5Ronnie PetersonMarch1:46:38.1002
6Graham HillBrabham+1 lap1
7Niki LaudaMarch+1 lap0
8Jacky IckxFerrari+1 lap0
9François CevertTyrrell+1 lap0
10David WalkerTeam Lotus+1 lap0
11Henri PescaroloMarch+2 laps0
12Clay RegazzoniFerrari+2 laps0
13Rolf StommelenEifelland+2 laps0
14Helmut MarkoBRM+3 laps0
15Chris AmonMatra+3 laps0
16John LoveSurteesPuncture0
17Carlos PaceMarch+6 laps0
NCHowden GanleyBRM+9 laps0
NCAndrea de AdamichSurtees+10 laps0
NCPeter GethinBRM+14 laps0